USAC Candidate Statements Jeremy
McKenzie S.U.R.E. As the in-house candidate and after
serving the students for the last two years as facilities
commission chief of staff, I have seen firsthand many of the issues
facing students in the realm of facilities.
First and foremost, there is a need to educate the average UCLA
student regarding campus facilities. Today, most students know
little or nothing about the state or future of campus
facilities.
With new construction projects popping up almost weekly,
students have a right to know what is being built on campus and how
long their daily lives will be inconvenienced. One way of solving
this knowledge gap is for periodic construction updates to be
issued by the commission via the Daily Bruin, e-mail or other
means.
By forming a student outreach office within the commission, I
can help put decision-making power back in the students’
hands. This office will serve as a forum for regular UCLA students
to vent, suggest and inquire about the current state of our
school’s facilities.
The office will seek to work with ASUCLA, Facilities Management,
the On-Campus Housing Council and the administration in providing
assistance and services to students. Regular ads in The Bruin,
postings on campus and in the dorms, and overall outreach and
publicity will help to increase public awareness of the office,
thereby bringing the office of facilities commissioner out of the
halls of Kerckhoff and into the hands of students.
Another key aspect of my tenure will be to advocate community
safety in campus facilities. This is an especially poignant issue
in light of the recent sexual assaults in the Westwood area.
I possess the necessary communication skills and understanding
to work with the UCPD and the administration to address this issue
and take the necessary steps to make the UCLA campus the safest
possible. Expect better ““ vote McKenzie for facilities
commissioner.
Narges Pisheh Student Empowerment I have had a
strong history of leadership and bringing diverse groups of people
together. Knowing four languages fluently (Spanish, Persian,
Arabic, and English) and having the experience of living in many
countries have helped me accomplish this history.
I have been involved in clubs and student governments since
1997. I was elected vice president of the Santa Monica College
Associated Students, president of the International Caucus of the
California Community Colleges, president of the Middle-East
International Club, parliamentarian to Region 7 and commissioner to
the Student Trustee.
Some of the projects I worked on include increasing parking lots
and improving student facilities. I also stand firmly for the
rights of women, and as a women’s rights activist, my goals
in life are to educate women about their rights and help them take
action.
Since coming to UCLA in 2000, I have become involved in various
clubs including Alpha Gamma Epsilon, the Pre-Law Society and the
Political Science Society. In addition, I work as the public
relations officer for the USAC president. In early April, I was
elected to represent 30,000 students to lobby the state Legislature
in Sacramento about issues that affect students.
If elected facilities commissioner, I have several goals. I plan
to lobby administrators to save the IM Field by finding,
alternative solutions to our parking problem. I will also work to
expand the BruinGo! program to include the Culver City and MTA bus
systems.
I will lobby for student rights with the SPARC project, create
an advisory committee for facility issues on campus made up of
representatives from all clubs, strengthen campus security by
networking with UCPD and the Community Service Officer program, and
fight for a reduction in student parking rates.
If you give me the opportunity to serve, I will honor your trust
and work hard for you.